Liberty MavenWhy Bob Barr? Simple, Really.
July 5th, 2008 11:59 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Bob Barr, Constitution, Election, Libertarianism, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Politics, Ron Paul | 1
There’s a sharp divide amongst liberty loving voters about whether to support a candidate like Bob Barr for President. I support him almost whole-heartedly. My only caveat is that my support will disappear if he starts sounding like the “compassionate conservative” he was over 5 years ago.
Most of the candidates I support don’t win elections, but they do their best to morph the debate towards liberty and the Constitution. With the two major party candidates rarely mentioning the “supreme law of the land” it is refreshing to hear a candidate who invokes the Constitution either directly or through implication by rhetoric. Bob Barr is such a candidate.
What makes Barr even more “special” in this regard is that he has extensive media access due to his Republican celebrity past. To me that is a means to an end. An end that has the libertarian message being heard by more people than ever. There is nothing more important than spreading that “voice” to as many people as possible.
Make no mistake though, Bob Barr is a moderate Libertarian. He angers some of the more purist (or radical) libertarians, especially when considering his past anti-liberty voting record. To me this is more of a strength than a weakness. Barr’s transformation mimics many voter’s own transformations. The majority of America supported the Iraq war based on false pretenses. Now the majority is against it. Voter’s can identify with a candidate who has experienced a similar transformation.
The “flip-flop” label is always thrown around for any perceived wavering on an issue. There should be a distinction that “flip-flopping” is only truly “flip-flopping” if it is done purely for political gain. Suggesting Barr, a former popular Republican, joining the Libertarian Party and “adopting” its ideology was for political gain is almost laughable. It is not politically expedient to join the Libertarian Party. No matter what libertarians may personally hope or believe, the party is considered a fringe party by the casual disinterested voters that make up the majority of the electorate.
I support Bob Barr for President because:
- His has the capability to spread the libertarian message to the masses.
- He is spreading the libertarian message with each opportunity.
- He is a moderate conservative libertarian.
- He is the candidate most likely to follow his oath of office.
- Ron Paul is no longer in the race.
It really is as simple as that.
Check out http://bobbarr2008.com/
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July 5th, 2008 at 8:13 pm (#)
Agree wholeheartedly.
The Libertarian Party has a history of infighting amongst many since compromise is more of a favored tactic for the major parties than for the more principled LP members. This tends to be good for principle, but bad for a sense of unity and spreading the message.
I thought Harry Browne (who brought me into the fold) was pretty good at getting media attention and trying to unite. I voted for Browne twice, but even he (who I believe to have been sincere) as a principled libertarian and a truly great man got much lower vote totals than desirable.
FWIW, I mentioned before, I was born in 1963. I started my “political” life as a Reagan Republican. Many my age were so, so soured by the ineffective Carter, that it became a no-brainer. But then I didn’t like his successor. I voted for Clinton, but the man had no principles or scruples. When Harry came around, I realized there was an alternative. I changed my stance on several points. Those stances haven’t changed in the 12 years hence. I choose to believe that Bob Barr has made a similar conversion, it just took longer because he was part of the system.
Sure, Ron Paul would have been better – but Barr is leaps and bounds ahead of either major candidate – not even close.